Manipur is burning. The small Indian state, tucked away in the country’s northeast and bordering Myanmar, has been the site of deadly violence between its two biggest ethnic groups, the majority Meitei and the Kuki minority.
Since May, more than 130 Manipuris have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced. Churches and temples have been destroyed. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, remained silent until a shocking video emerged last month of two Kuki women paraded naked by Meitei men. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently in power in the state, led by a Meitei politician, Chief Minister Biren Singh.
The violence in Manipur exhibits troubling signs not only of ethnic conflict but also of state failure, with local police seemingly unable to stop the violence. Despite the conflict’s shocking nature, it has gotten relatively little media attention.
Speaking on FP Live this week, journalist Barkha Dutt described scenes she witnessed in Manipur. “Women who were once paddy farmers are today patrolling their villages armed with guns,” she said. “Every survivor and every family of victims that I met on the ground in Manipur said the police were there but did nothing.”
Sushant Singh, a former Indian Army officer, pointed out that India has had to reroute forces along its border with China to Manipur. “This move weakens India’s defensive posture against China,” he said. “The internal strife in Manipur … will consume a lot of resources of the Indian Armed Forces, making it more and more difficult for them to focus on the challenge coming from China.”
